Curtain-fixture.



J. D. HEATER.

CURTAIN FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.11, 191s.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Fl 'gf, Z.

Jacob Heater, flat flttorneys.

juice]; :0. HEATER, of DAYTON, OHIO, COMPANY,- on DAYTON, onro,

ASSIGNO'R TO THE BARNEY AND SMITH CAR A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

CURTAIN-FIXTURE.

icense.

Application filed September 11, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Jacon D. HEATER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain-Fixtures, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to curtain fixtures of that type in which a spring actuated curtain is provided at its lower edge with a curtain rod having at its opposite ends friction devices arranged to enter guideways in the window frame and cooperate therewith to resist the pull of the spring actuated curtain roller and thus retain the curtain in any position to which it may be adjusted, the friction devices being such that slight additional pressure applied to the curtain rod will tend to move the curtain upward while a pressure sufficient to overcome the friction devices and the tension of the spring actuated curtain roller will move the curtain downward. As soon as the pressure is released the frictional devices hold the curtain in the position to which it has been moved.

The object of this invention is to provide frictional devices of such a character that the curtain rod may be grasped at any point between its ends to adjust the curtain without causing binding of the frictional devices in the guideways.

To this end it is a further object to so connect the frictional devices with the curtain rod that the latter will have movement relatively to the former.

It is also an object of the invention to .rovide a device of this character which will be very simple; wil be inexpensive to manufacture and will have a high degree of efficiency.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a window frame with a curtain mounted therein and embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view, taken vertically through Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken transversely through Fig. 1 and partially broken away; Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the frictional devices; and Fig. 5 is a face view of the friction shoe.

In these drawings there is illustrated one embodiment of the invention and the same has been shown in connect-ion with a window Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1914..

Serial No. 789,297.

frame 1, the side members of which are provided with vertical grooves 2 which form guideways. Mounted in the upper part of the frame 1 is a curtain roller 3 which may be of any suitable character but is preferably of a well known spring-actuated type, in which the spring tends constantly to r0- tate the roller. Mounted upon the roller and adapted to be wound thereon by the action of the spring 4 provided at its lower end with a curtain rod 5 having secured thereto frictional devices adapted to enter the vertical guideway 2. These frictional devices are of such a construction that the curtain rod is capable of movement relatively to the friction members or shoes forming part of the frictional devices. Thus, if the curtain rod be grasped near one end and a pull exerted thereon which tends to twist the rod a position at an acute angle to the length of the curtain the positions of the friction shoes or members will not be affected and consequently they will not be caused to bind within the guideways. just the curtain as effectually as a pull 1n the center of the rod and as soon as the rod has been returned to its normal position, at right angles to the length of the curtain, the

frictional devices will act upon the guide- 85 ways to retain the curtain in its adjusted osition.

The frictional devices may be of various kinds and the connections which permit the movement of the the shoes may be made in various ways. As here shown the curtain rod 5 is tubular in form and is secured to the curtain by mounting the same within a pocket formed near the lower edge of the curtain, The frictional devices in the form here illus trated comprise spring-actuated plungers 7 having at their outer ends frictional shoes 8. The plungers preferably consist of rods, as shown in the drawings, which mounted in guideways or collars 9 rigidly secured in position within the tubular rod, preferably by punching the metal of the rod through and causing it to engage the collar,

although this may be accomplished in any 1% suitable manner. The rod or plunger proper is somewhat smaller in diameter than the tubular curtain rod and is provided near its outer end with an enlargement or guide 10 which fits snugly within the rod 5 and guides no in the roller is a curtain 65 or move it into Such a pull will aclcurtain rod relatively to so as shown at 6. 9.5

are slidably I collar 9 and the the plunger therein. A spring 11 is coiled about the plunger and confined between the guide 10 and tends to move the plunger outward.

A suit-able stop is provided to limit the outward movement of the plunger and as here shown this stop is in the form of a lug or projection 12 secured to and forming a part of a nut 13 which is screw-threaded into the inner end of the plunger rod 11, beyond the collar 9. This projection 12 extends through a. lengthwise slot 14 in the wall of the tubular curtain rod and thus limits the movement of the plunger. Further the amount of this movement and consequently the amount of pressure exerted by the friction shoes upon the guideways may be regulated by adjusting the nut 18. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 3 that the nut is of a width less than the width of the slot. This permits the nut to be inserted in the rod through the slot, this insertion being facilitated by rounding the lower rear corner of the nut as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.; Further, the lower portion of the nut rests upon the inner wall of the rod and supports the nut in a position to receive the screwthreaded ends of the plunger, thus mate rially facilitating the assembling of the device. The friction members are in the form of elongated shoes having their ends curved upward and are preferably provided on their frictional faces with a. suitable friction substance, such as lead, as indicated at 15, this substance serving to materially increase the frictional contact between the shoes and the guideways.

As above stated it is desirable that the shoes should be connected to the curtain rod in such a manner as to permit the curtain rod to have movement relatively to the shoes, thus preventing the displacement of the shoes when the rod is pulled out of itscorrect position and a consequent binding of the shoes in the guideways. This connection between the shoes and the curtain rod may be formed in any suitable manner but is preferably a flexible one which will permit the rod to move about a substantially horizontal transverse axis relatively to the shoe.

, In the present construction the connection is i bet-ween two parts of the frictional devices, that is, the shoe is flexibly connected with the plunger which is mounted in the tubular rod and moves therewith. While this flexiw ble connection may be of various kinds I have, in the present instance, and for the sake of strength and simplicity, used an ordinary pivotal connection, as shown at 16, the pivot being substantially horizontal. Thus, it will be seen that if the rod 5 is grasped near one end thereof and a. pull or thrust exerted thereon there oncy to move one end of the rod farther than the other end and thus move the rod out of will be a tendf its normal position and cause the same to extend at an acute angle to the length of the curtain. This movement, however, does not affect the positionsof the frictional shoes in the guideways but decreases the pressure exerted thereby in the guideways. As soon as the movement of the curtain rod and curtain have been completed the curtain rod may be readily restored to its normal position by a slight pull in the proper direction and the pressure of the friction shoes upon the guideways will be sufiicient to retain the curtain in its adjusted position. Means are also provided to retain the shoes in the guideways. In the present instance this is accomplished by so constructing the shoes 8 that one edge of each shoe will project beyond the side of the adjacent end of the plunger, and in securing to the window frame a strip of metal or other suitable material, 17, which will project inward beyond the edge of the guideway and overlap the projecting side of the shoe, thereby preventing the outward movement of the shoe.

In order that the frictional devices may be removed from their guideways, in case this should be desirable for any reason, I have terminated the retainin strip 17 a short distance from the upper ends of the guideways. The distance between the upper ends of the strip and the upper ends of the respective guideways is slightly less than the length of one of the shoes. Consequently, a. straight lateral movement will not withdraw the frictional device. To remove the same one shoe must be elevated above the other and thus withdrawn from the opening above the retaining strip and then the position of the rod reversed and the other shoe withdrawn.

WVhile member prising and the rod is here shown as coma pivot pm and the shoe is mounted on a. fixed axis it will be understood that any suitable flexible connection may be employed so long as it will permit of the clesired movement of the rod relatively to the friction member and that such a connection will be a pivoted connection within the meaning of this specification and the appended claim.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of the invention it will be understood that this has been chosen for the purposes of illustration only and that I do not desire to be limited to the details of struction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is 2 In a curtain fixture, the combination with a frame having a guideway therein, a curtain rod, a friction shoe carried by said curtain rod and mounted to travel in said guidethe connection between the friction COIlway, said shoe having a laterally projecting portion, a part secured to said frame member and projecting beyond the edge of said guideway to engage the projecting part of said shoe to retain said shoe Within said guideway, said art terminating at a point removed from t e upper end of said guide- Way a. distance less than the length of said friction shoe but suflicient to permit said In test1mony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JACOB D. HEATER.

WVitnesses:

T. P. KAHon, D. H. ODELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. Y 

